Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial
It's been many years coming, but Artic Colonization is a big-time breakthrough for the Collective. The Society Dept. still has enough stored-up research for accelerated study lasting over eight years at the present rate, though we'll use it up faster once the Micaw diversion is completed. Your options:
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Doctrine: Space Combat(Military Theory, 350) -- Increases Naval Capacity by 10%. We have presently used 12 of 32, but that gap will close with the current fleet buildup. 32 is more than enough for present needs -- but who knows when those needs will increase ...
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Xeno Diplomacy(Statecraft, 1314) -- Allows us to propose federations with other empires. We'll get into Federations which are their own unique and much-debated ball of wax, but for our purposes now it's enough to note that they require four members. We don't even have contact with three other empires yet! This is a good thing to have ... someday. Of course, we never know if we'll get another chance to research it before we need it ...
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Eco Simulation(Biology, 350) -- Unlocks the Planetary Edict: Farming Subsidies(+25% food for 10 years). This is useful in growing new colonies, though due to the cost of planetary edicts, it can't be used in widespread fashion. Perhaps in getting a new, potentially lucrative colony without a lot of arable land up and running it could be quite a thing though in the right situation. Also unlocks Hydroponic Farms II, an upgrade over our current farms. This would be useful basically everywhere. Even on a world almost fully developed like Humboldt, it would potentially allow an additional province to be used for research, mining, or energy instead of growing food to feed people.
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Regenerative Hull Tissue(Materials, 836/4905) -- About a sixth of the work here is already done by debris surveys. A small amount of the hull can be 'healed' each month without returning to a spaceport for the expense and time of repairs. The repair speed is unlikely to provide significant improvement in combat itself, but does allow for more time spent on fleet operations with the ability to repair in the field.
Dr. David Corperial, you are now on the clock.
Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren
This is something others can also comment on of course, but the Inquisitor must set a couple of new priorities. Colonization is the subject. At this time, we can now colonize 14 unsettled planets -- 3 are ocean, 11 arctic. This number will only grow as our survey ships expand further. In view of this, it is no longer sensible to trouble the Inquisitor or the highest officials of the Collective with deciding where to go next on a case-by-case basis. That would be an absurd exercise at this point, and will only become more so.
Seen here is the inner galactic arm. It's worth noting that Pleione has been exploited by someone, probably the mysterious disappearing Omicrons. Note the yellow numbers indicating mineral and engineering development in this system, compared to the white ones in undeveloped space.
It seems to me that colonization efforts might be guided by a pair of priorities, though input from the Inquisitor and others on different considerations would be more than welcome.
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Economic Value -- The habitability and natural resources of a planet, along with those of the surrounding systems, would be evaluated here. How much treasure, raw materials, and research potential would a colony bring into the Collective?
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Strategic Importance -- For this aspect, the location of the system would be primary. Chokepoint systems that we must pass through be viewed as more important. Systems such as Wexellia and Dastamon that maintain our borders against the Kroll or some other empire, those that control the fairly rare crossings from one arm of the galaxy to another, and so on would be in view here.
A low/medium/high priority is in view here.
Inquisitor Roe Laren, what say you -- both about these two guidelines, and any others you may wish to add? You are now on the clock, and other Collective officials are highly encouraged to add in their .02. This decision will not hold up progress right now, but it will be ripe soon. Under current established orders, we are probably still a few years away from the next colony ship going out.